The classic Tandy Color Computer (CoCo) series of computers featured only RF output right up until the release of the CoCo 3, which features not only RF, but also much needed color composite (mono audio) and RGB outputs. While composite is superior to RF and compatible with legacy software, for optimal use of supported CoCo 3-specific modes and software, you'll obviously want the superior RGB connection, which is incredibly sharp in comparison to the other two options. The catch with the RGB output is that the connector is non-standard and doesn't necessarily work with a wide range of monitors. (read more)

I was able to attend the first day of the 23rd Annual "Last" Chicago CoCoFEST!, put on by the Glenside CCC, which ran from April 26 - 27, 2014, in Lombard, Illinois, which is a suburb of Chicago. Besides the great time my family and I had at our first, albeit short, trip to the area, I also had a great time at my first CoCoFEST!. The fest featured exhibitors, seminars, and an auction. In fact, Boisy Pitre and I even gave a surprise Q&A session about our book, CoCo: The Colorful History of Tandy's Underdog Computer.

Here are some of the fest-specifc photos, taken with my HTC One (M8) smartphone, with some light commentary (I'm purposely keeping the mention of names to a minimum for various practical reasons--it was obviously a great pleasure meeting everyone):

Just a reminder, if you're going to be at VCF East 9.1 this weekend, both Boisy and I will be there this Saturday, April 5, as well as at CoCoFEST! 2014, which is in the Chicago area, April 26 and 27, 2014. If you're there, be sure to say hi to us. Enjoy!

The color ebook (Kindle) version of our latest book, CoCo: The Colorful History of Tandy's Underdog Computer, is now available on Amazon.com alongside the standard paperback. We're delighted to have received 17 out of 17 five star reviews on Amazon, and look forward to the upcoming media reviews on various podcasts, magazines, and Websites (we're also scheduled for a few interviews). More updates to follow as they happen. Thanks for the support!

Great news! After an unfortunate supply issue, our latest book, CoCo: The Colorful History of Tandy's Underdog Computer, is now back in stock on Amazon.com. We've already received 15 out of 15 five star reviews on Amazon, and look forward to the upcoming media reviews on various podcasts, magazines, and Websites (we're also scheduled for a few interviews). Of course, the book is also available everywhere else books are sold, including Amazon Canada, Amazon UK, and Amazon Germany. The color eBook version (Kindle) should be out soon as well. I'll of course post again once that hits and some of the media reviews come out.

There's other big news related to this and other projects, so be sure to check back on Armchair Arcade soon for all the details. Thanks for the support.

Episode 8 of Randy Kindig's Floppy Days Vintage Computing Podcast, entitled, The TRS-80 Model I (Part I), gives another shout-out to two of the upcoming books I've co-authored, CoCo: The Colorful History of Tandy's Underdog Computer and Vintage Game Consoles: An Inside Look at Apple, Atari, Commodore, Nintendo, and the Greatest Gaming Platforms of All Time. Though Kindig messed up our names again (they're not easy--we've since given him a pronunciation guide), his support is of course still much appreciated. Kindig will also be receiving review copies of both books for future episodes of his podcast, plus he will be interviewing Boisy and me on an upcoming podcast (we want to wait for him to get a copy of the book). One other correction, the CoCo book should be out by the end of December, not November! Check out the episode here, which is part one of a two part interview with the authors of a popular TRS-80 book, as well as additional info on the computer itself. The TRS-80 was the first major personal computer Tandy did before the Color Computer (CoCo), and was part of the original 1977 trinity, which also included the Apple II and Commodore PET.